Questions from mentees

Mentoring does not replace psychological advice. It is also not a substantive implementation, but mentoring can include advisory aspects. The mentoring relationship does not have to be a friendship either. A mentor does not have to be exactly what you want to be in the future or how you used to be. A mentor does not have to be older than you or have the same degree as you. A mentor does not need a university degree. A greater wealth of experience and the knowledge advantage in a field of activity or an industry where you see your professional future are decisive. A mentor does not have to get you a job either, but can show you the necessary steps to your dream job and support you. A mentor will not ask you for mentoring sessions. It is your role and duty to organize regular meetings together.

1. MATCHING PROCESS: After completing the registration form and paying the registration fee of €30, you will be included in our mentee pool. If we have found a mentor for you, you will see the profile of the other person and only have to agree to each other. This is followed by the official matching mail with further information about the program and payment information for your mentee contribution.

2. MENTORING START: At the kick-off in Berlin at the beginning of the program year, you will get to know your mentor personally. If you are unable to take part in the kick-off or if you join later, online onboarding is available to you. We will introduce you to mentoring and together you will clarify expectations, goals and limits of your mentoring.

3. MENTORING SESSIONS: Your mentor will be available to advise you once a month for about an hour – in person or by phone, Skype or Zoom. Longer or more frequent mentoring sessions are at the discretion of the mentor. She/he gives you insights into the world of work and work practice, supports you in your professional orientation or your (re)positioning in the job and connects you with contacts. The mentor does not have an agenda of his own, neither does he want to push you in a particular direction, nor does he want to impose his own professional path. The mentor is there to accompany and advise you on your professional path. Feedback talks on mentoring are also ideal (What is going well? What can be improved?). At the end of the six-month period, evaluate the previous approach and goals for the remaining time together.

4. END OF MENTORING: You evaluate your mentoring year together (What went well? What could have been better?). Don’t forget to thank your mentor! Because their voluntary commitment is fantastic, makes MentorMe possible in the first place and should be appreciated.

Our more than 800 mentors have at least 5 years of professional experience. They come from sectors such as (social) entrepreneurship, strategy, communication, environmental and economic consulting, ministries, politics and political consulting, NGOs and think tanks, foundations and associations, development cooperation, TV and print journalism, film, blogging, public Relations, public affairs, human resources and personnel development, art, culture and digital economy, event management, sales, university and adult education, coaching and training, health, change and diversity management and much more

Our mentors are in management, consultants, founders/self-employed, CEOs, department heads, speakers, coaches, trainers, work in HR/recruitment, are creative & analysts, academics & career changers. They come from sectors such as (social) entrepreneurship, strategy, communication, environmental and economic consulting, ministries, politics and political consulting, NGOs and think tanks, foundations and associations, development cooperation, TV and print journalism, film & radio, blogging , Public Relations, Public Affairs, Human Resources and Personnel Development, Art, Culture and Digital Economy, Design, Event Management, Sales, E-Commerce, University and Adult Education, Coaching and Training, Health, Change, Innovation and Diversity Management, development cooperation, environmental management and much more

Our mentors work in companies and organizations such as: Adelphi, Adidas, AOK, Employment Agency, Federal Foreign Office, Bitkom, BMW, Federal Press Office, Bundestag, Federal Ministry of Defense, Deloitte, Deutsche Welle, Die Welt, DKB, Enorm Magazin, European Commission, EY, Facebook, refugee shelter, Friedrich Naumann Foundation, start-up scene, Hexal, German Historical Museum Berlin, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, KPMG, McKinsey, PayFit, Porsche, PWC, Siemens, Sparkasse, Tagesspiegel, Talents4Good, United Nations, Unicef, Vice Magazine, Zalando etc.

As part of the matching process, we will send you the mentor profile that suits you best. We also send your profile to the mentor. Only if you give each other a “Go” will we match you to a mentoring team. This means: If you do not want mentoring with a mentor suggested by us, we will respond to your wishes and suggest a second mentor. If, contrary to expectations, it still doesn’t work, we will always try our best to find a suitable mentor based on your wishes.

In addition to 12 months of your individual mentoring, we offer a comprehensive training and networking & event program for mentees and mentors. Here you will find our constantly updated, complete program .

Our mentees are students, doctoral students, graduates (approx. 25%) and young professionals (approx. 75%). They are between 25 and 50 years old. Our mentees come from all fields of study, industries and jobs. Most of them live in Germany, but some also come from abroad. There are mothers, women of color, doctoral students, job seekers, employees, expats, self-employed and founders and those who want to become one.

Yes! We have many mentees and mentors from all over Germany and beyond worldwide. Since we primarily match our mentoring teams in terms of content and not regionally (unless someone explicitly wants their mentee or mentor to come from the same region or city), many mentoring sessions take place online. In addition, many of our training and networking offers for our mentees and mentors are broadcast online, so that those who do not live in Berlin or Germany or who are temporarily staying somewhere else can also take part. As a replacement for the kick-off event for the program year, we also offer several online onboarding sessions for mentees and mentors who cannot come to Berlin.

However, what we cannot do: take over or subsidize the travel expenses to our events.

Note: Due to the current Corona situation, all events – apart from a few regulars’ tables – are currently taking place online via zoom.

Many of our training and networking offers for our mentees and mentors are broadcast online, so that those who do not live in Berlin or Germany or who are temporarily in another country can also participate.

Here’s what we offer online (and what we don’t):

1. TRAINING:

• Career Vision : Where am I and where do I want to go? (online participation possible)
• Networking : How do I approach others and create a network? (online participation possible)
• Negotiating: How to win in salary and position talks? (online participation possible)
• Rhetoric : How do I persuade others through verbal and non-verbal rhetoric? (NO online participation possible)

Our mentors offer additional lectures and short workshops. If technically possible and made possible by our cooperation partners in their locations, these will be broadcast live online. Here is a selection of the lectures:

• Personal branding on LinkedIn : How do I make a professional impression on LinkedIn and how do I position myself as a brand/expert?
• Coping with job-related crises of meaning: How do I get out of my job and into a job that gives me meaning and fulfillment?
• Project management : How does it work and which tools can I quickly acquire?
• Courage in the work context: How can I be more self-confident in my job?
• My journey from expert to trusted advisor : How do I make the leap from expert to advisor?
• International career : How do I work worldwide?

2. NETWORKING EVENTS:

• An evening with experts : The evenings with 5-6 experts from various sectors (e.g. consulting, foundations, HR, training & coaches, NGOs & social startups, politics, communication, women bosses) in Berlin and other metropolises offer insights in sectors and personal careers of the experts. Except for the evening with tech experts, these events take place in Berlin. (online participation possible)
• Visits to companies and organizations: Office tours and Q&As in Berlin and other major cities (such as the Federal Foreign Office, BMI, Federal Press Office, Bundestag, EY, Facebook, Google, Zalando, Gründerszene, Gruner & Jahr) offer insight into work cultures and about people and people opportunities for advancement. Most of the visits take place in Berlin and occasionally in other German metropolises. If our hosts allow it, they will be transmitted online. (online participation in the Q&A sessions with employees from the various companies is possible, provided that the respective employer allows this and it is technically feasible)
• “Job Interview Session” in Berlin offers our mentees the opportunity to run through job interviews with several “interviewers” and receive feedback on their performance. (online participation NOT possible due to the interactivity of the format)
• “Let’s Network” event in Berlin offers mentees the opportunity to meet many interesting mentors. (online participation NOT possible due to the interactivity of the format)
• Lunch & After Work Sessions: Our mentors offer lectures on various topics (such as money mindset) in Berlin and other major cities. (online participation possible, provided that the partner locations allow this and make it technically possible)
• Get-Together for Mentors: You serve to exchange ideas about mentoring and to network our mentors in Berlin and other major cities. (online participation possible; exclusively for mentors)
• Community groups: There are peer-to-peer groups in many German cities for networking our mentees: the groups, such as the Young Professionals, Moms & Dads, the applicants, women with migration experience, mentees for intl. Cooperation, doctoral students, mentees in Bavaria, Hamburg, NRW, Main-Rhein, Leipzig and Brussels. The meetings offer monthly networking opportunities in German metropolises. (Themed events usually offer online participation. Local groups do not offer online participation)

Yes! We keep getting inquiries from interested women who missed the admission phase before the start of the program (August to November of each year), the kick-off at the start of the program (November of each year) and the first few months of the program. As long as we still have mentors in our mentor pool who have not yet been matched and who suit you as a mentee, we will be happy to match and include you in our program year.

In this case, we recommend a mentor who is a coach by profession or through an additional qualification. Because coaches can accompany you in your career finding process in a targeted manner and with the help of professional tools and techniques to find your direction.

The very best match is no guarantee for your advancement! Don’t forget that our mentors are volunteers! So they shouldn’t have to run after you. Rather, you should see yourself as a proactive part! Therefore, ask your mentor for mentoring sessions and arrange the next appointment after each session. Prepare for each session conscientiously and thoroughly and complete the agreed tasks. Think of topics and questions you want to discuss. You should also adapt to the temporal and local possibilities of the mentor. Speak openly about your current challenges and build a relationship with your mentor based on honesty and transparency. In this way you show that the time and energy spent together are well invested. Your mentor is there to help you. Use this chance! Last but not least: Share your professional successes with your mentor. He/she will be happy as if they were their own.

It can happen that the mentoring does not take place for personal or professional reasons. In such cases, we try to find a solution for the mentee and mentor with the help of a mediator. This usually works and the mentoring can then be continued. However, if that does not help, we will speak to the mentee and the mentor and, if desired, can end the mentoring.

We have many mentors who are entrepreneurs (and thus former founders) or management consultants and are therefore very experienced in business development. For women who want to start a business, such mentors are an enormous help and worth their weight in gold, because nobody with a start-up project can cover all the areas that are needed to launch a product or service on their own.

Yes! If you’re a mom, we invite you to our community for Moms & Dads in addition to your regular membership. The offers especially benefit parents, incl. GetTogethers, fireside chats with professionally successful mothers, evenings with coaches and HR professionals who give mothers tips on application processes in particular. In addition, training courses that offer parents solution strategies for more work-life balance and compatibility.

We have set up an exclusive group on Facebook for our mentees and mentors, to which we will invite you after the match. Job advertisements are often posted in this group – often with personal contacts to employers or employees at the respective companies. Furthermore, we like to network our mentees personally in the lively professional network of MentorMe. We have already been able to get many mentees into employment.

As a social enterprise, we want to burden our mentees as little as possible. Your contribution is based on your financial situation. After registration you pay a registration fee of 30€. This will be deducted from you when you pay your mentee fee (regardless of whether it is a one-time payment or installments). The mentee contribution is only due after successful matching. This way you are guaranteed to only pay if you are happy with your match!

Our annual program contributions

• (Young) Professional (778 €)
• Student, (Young) Professional below minimum wage (534 €)
• Alumni mentee, mentor, scholarship holder (411€)

(also payable monthly in 6 installments plus €5 administration fee/instalment)

The partial contribution of our mentees for matching with a mentor is tax-exempt. The partial contribution for our training as well as networking and event offers represents further training, the costs of which can be claimed for tax purposes depending on your professional status. So submit the invoice for the mentee contribution as part of your annual tax return.

As a social enterprise, we want to make sure that everyone who is interested can afford to participate in the MentorMe program! If you pay our lowest contribution incl. of social discounts, can not pay, send us a confidential email. We will find a way together!

No. Unfortunately, we cannot cover travel expenses for events or mentoring sessions.

Yes! You will receive a certificate of participation from us at the end of the program or individually by arrangement.

Yes. We want our mentees to continue to benefit from our service offerings and strong career network after the end of the program year. In addition, former mentees can participate in all MentorMe networking events and training courses for a fee and remain in the MentorMe Inside group on Facebook – free of charge. At the same time, we are happy when former mentees repeat the program again or become mentors themselves, because that is the cycle of “give & take” that we initiate.

Of course! Just write us an email .